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By Pierre Lemieux
The $1-trillion infrastructure deal between Congressional Democrats and Republicans may at least help us answer the question: What is infrastructure? Economic definitions, when you can find them, are not enlightening. They often provide a mere list of what are supposed to be instances infrastructure without providing a key to their common features. Criticizing the infrastructure deal, a Wall Street Journal editorial provides a list of its own of “traditional public works” (“A Not So Grand Infrastructure Deal,” July 29, 2021):...
One of the most disquieting and perhaps prophetic chapters in Friedrich Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom (University of Chicago Press, 1944) is the one on “the end of truth.” The future Nobel economics prize winner argued that a totalitarian government or one getting there must...
Agreed, I made a similar point up above, but after you. I am in favor of turning over infrastructure to local neighborhoods, POAs where they exist or small taxing districts otherwise. I wonder how much of that would still be built if it was being paid for directly by the local neighborhood. Roads would narrow for sure, except in really high end neighborhoods, or high status neighborhoods anyway (I know some super high end neighborhoods that are practically [and literally in some cases] gravel roads). Storm sewers might survive, but then again, I think there would be lots more septic tanks and less sewers in the distant suburbs.
robc , August 3, 1:57 pm.